soup

I never post about food or cooking. Either one interest me much. But, on Sunday I was craving soup, and I wanted this particular soup that I had seen in a picture. I had no idea how to make it, but I winged it and came up with this. It is a new Bailey favorite.

4 cans chicken broth

half an onion chopped

1 spinach brick

12 pre made meatballs (I used Meirs frozen meatballs)

a small amount of angel hair pasta broken into small pieces

1 chopped potato with skin

salt

ground pepper

a dash of Italian seasoning

Simmer till potatoes are soft before you add the noodles and meatballs. Enjoy.

nostalgia

Friday night FootballRyan and I went to the Bountiful vs. Viewmont High School Football game on Friday night. As his father is a retired school teacher from VHS, and Ryan an alumni of BHS, it was a "must see" event. How funny it was for us to observe the chaos of high school life, and be reminded once again of how thankful we are that those days of drama are long gone for the two of us! It was entertaining, and very nostalgic for my main man.

summer tennis lessons

This summer I started taking tennis lessons from Darrell. He's my father-in-law, and probably the best tennis instructor anyone could ask for. He has been so patient, consistent, and patient. I have actually really started to have fun, and the learning is progressing with each lesson. We practice every Friday and Saturday mornings at the Murray's court. (family friends that just live down the street) The court is in such a great setting, with beautiful trees, garden, and lawn surrounding it's perimeters. patience in action

the "little engine that could" learning the serve

Darrell, you are the best! Thank you so much for being such a great teacher and friend!

colors of life

The Sharing Place Experience: "I think it is critical to have a program for children who have lost a parent to be with other children who know and understand what they are going through. It is a blessing to have The Sharing Place. It would be a great loss not to have this as an out for teens. If it could help one child then it is worth its weight in gold." C.H.

The Sharing Place is dedicated to providing a safe and caring environment where children, teens, and their families who are grieving the death of a loved one may share their feelings while healing themselves.

18 September 2009

We walked into the foyer of 'The Colors of Life Benefit' and after being greeted we walked past this wall of hearts:

posted on the other side of these partitions were the following:The Sharing Place was first introduced to me by Lauren. When she was 15 her dad killed himself. I remember very vividly when she told me. She acted so nonchalantly, like it was no big deal. "It's OK Hannie, really, I am fine." I went home that night knowing that she was not fine. With the wonderful support and help of The Sharing Place, Lauren has grown so much and developed into a beautiful person. She is in a place today that I know she would not be if she hadn't let herself grieve. If she hadn't been taught how to grieve, and that it is OK to process through it. Last night she spoke of her journey. I cried. I was so happy and so touched. Click for her story. Here she is with her amazing mom Sally.

When Stan died, although Carmen already had heard of The Sharing Place, I along with another friend of hers, was so adamant that she get her kids involved there. It has been a god send for her and her three boys. I was talking to Raenie (my little sis) yesterday and we both were in agreement that although we have not benefited first hand from the service of The Sharing Place (thank goodness we have not had reason to!), we feel so indebted to the staff there and to the organization. Without the help that they have provided for Carmen and her family, as extended family, we would feel a loss. We would feel a bigger burden to help them heal, yet not really having the tools to do so. We collectively as a family thank those who work and volunteer there for helping lift such a heavy burden of loss from them and from us, and for helping her boys make sense of it all.

Last night was another refresher course for both myself and for Ryan on gratitude. We have so much! How easy it is for us to forget that.

There was a silent auction. Ryan was in a bidding war over this driver. He lost it by ten bucks! Dang!

There were so many auction items and very generous monetary donations. Very cool to witness. Thank you to my friends and family who gave so graciously and allowed me to pass on your generosity last night. To be there and see, feel, and hear first hand how many lives have been changed and touched by The Sharing Place... well, it was overwhelming.

We are so glad we could take part.

The End.

pga

This past weekend Willow Creek Country Club in Sandy hosted the PGA tour. Ryan and I were talking about going, but hadn't really deciced on which day to go. Then Sharon called and said she had VIP tickets for us if we wanted to meet up with them on Sunday.

So, that is what we did!

Walking down toward hole 18.

VIP baby! Thanks for hookin' us up Jimmy and Sharon!

We ran into none other than our friend "MC Petty" who was heading up the secuirty for the event all weekend. Small world!

birthday time in so jo

At the last minute our new friend Yvonne decided to throw herself a birthday party. So, Saturday night we loaded up and headed on down to her home. It was quite the spread, with salmon, ribs, chicken, and sausage all on the grill, plus an array of breads, salads, shrimp cocktails, and birthday cake. YUM! It was a perfect evening for dining on the deck. It wouldn't be a true party for Ryan if college football wasn't on! Go utes! The birthday girl with MelissaPlayin' a little game of quarters... a first for me! It's tricky!

And, the evening ended with a good hearted game of poker.

Thanks birthday girl for throwing such a fun party!

cleanse

I remember being so hesitant last year as we made preparations to go camping. All I could think about was all the prep, the dirt, the grime, the lack of showers and water, the work, the cooking, the packing and unpacking, and the piles of laundry. It was just too much to think about, let alone actually DO! But, after a very successful trip last year, which turned out to be so much better than my wild imagination led me to believe; I actually looked forward to this year’s trip. I looked forward to no technology, to not being able to be reached via cell phone, internet, IM, text messaging, etc… I looked forward to listening to the wind, to the night sounds in nature, to the crackling firewood, and the distant animal noises that freak me out a bit, but also excite me. I even looked forward to making meals for my two men. The two men that had one sole purpose for this trip: to search for, find, and kill that ever so perfect buck. Yes, morbid to me, but completely thrilling and exciting to them. But, whatever the reason that brought us to the wooded campsite up Harris Flat is of little importance. Of greater importance are the quiet moments in which lessons were learned. I sat by the fire one night as I held down the fort (i.e. campsite). The smells of fresh wood burning and the sounds of its crackling invigorated me. I LOVE FIRE! I always have. Ask my mom. I grew up with a basement window that always filled with leaves in the fall-time. One fall I had the cleverest idea: to light the leaves on fire! Good thing our house was made of brick! That is all I have to say about that! Anyway, I sat there one night while the men were out being men… the brave hunters they are. I stared at the fire for a long time. As I stared, I thought and thought, and just let my mind go. My thoughts turned to cleansing and to the idea that fire is a cleanser. I then thought about all the things in my life that I could get rid of which would ignite an internal cleanse of myself. I had a notebook and pen beside me and I grabbed them. I started to write all the things in my life or in my character that just needed to go. Things that were in me, or a part of me, that needed to burn. To be rid of those things could help me be better, be cleansed. I tore the papers apart so that each word was its separate piece. I then crinkled the papers and one by one threw them into the fire. As I did this, I released that thing from my life. It was a peaceful night. It was an awakening for my soul. I could feel the cleansing from the powers of the divine. It was healing and it was good. I went to bed that night feeling lighter, feeling refreshed. Just because I had that experience, I know it does not make me perfect, and I am not that naive to believe that I won’t ever again possess those characteristics that I burned that night. But, what I do know is that awareness, and the willingness to accept imperfection in ones self, and then to consciously “burn” those things, is a huge step toward being a much better human being. So, upon returning home, although I still had piles of laundry to wash from our second camping adventure, it just didn’t seem to matter. I had moved one more step forward and toward progression. And it just felt right.

weekend in la

This Labor Day weekend we went to LA with our friend Jason. He has been bugging us for a long time to come hang out with him in his old neighborhood where he lived for six years while going to school. It finally worked out, so off we went for some California sunshine and lots of fun!

We stayed at the Marriott at Marnia del ReyWe ate at a fantastic restaurant in Malibu called Moonshadows

here is our view from our tablethe four of us at dinnerRyan in heaven... a woman on each side... what more could he ask for? Jason took us to his friend's house for a backyard BBQ and pool party.... his friend just happens to be a player for the Oakland Raiders and has a super sweet house in "the valley" back of house looking up from the pooljust chillin at poolRyan walking up the stairs on our way out cuz it was time for a little baseball action!We went to the Dodgers Stadium and watched them play the San Diego Padres We spent some time at Venice Beach... major people watching. Our favorite was the body building contest that we just "happened upon"soaking up the sunwatching the surfers It was a nice weekend. We were able to see LA from a "local" perspective and hang out at some really cool places. Thanks Jason!